A recent development in the field of electro-mechanics has been the miniaturization of various mechanical devices. These "micro-mechanical" devices are manufactured using integrated circuit techniques. Typical of such devices are tiny motors, used in applications such as medicine.
Reliability has been difficult to achieve with micro-mechanical devices. A common reliability problem is sticking, which occurs when the device has a moving part that contacts another surface of the device. The moving element may become stuck against that surface and the device ceases to operate properly.